My VR dilemma

Hardware & Tech Questions
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Hey y’all

So… here is my dilemma post .

Shortly after its release I bought a Rift S.

Since Facebook has bought Oculus I was quite wary about it. I hate Facebook and everything it stands for, and Zuckerberg et al can go to hell if you ask me.

…but to be honest the Rift S was just the only VR headset that I could afford, and Facebook guaranteed that I would never need a Facebook account to use it. A promise they kept. Kind of (see below).

The other thing is that I cannot afford a faster PC so my 2070S will have to do, and all the other headsets probably need a better PC to run at their native resolution. The Rift S also was one of the most compatible headsets out there so thats why I went for it. Apart from minor problems I have with its software I am actually pretty happy with my decision.

I am not a a VR power user but I have tried and enjoyed DCS, MSFS, Dirt Rally, Assetto Corsa and several small VR games (such as Moss, Space Engine and The Lab), apart from some motion sickness I have it was fine.

So let’s jump ahead to my dilemma.

Facebook kept its promise and did not touch the Oculus account.
But as you all know Facebook founded its mother called Meta, and this is where the trouble starts for me. Meta does not care for promises that Facebook made. I was informed that starting 2023-01-01 my Oculus account will stop working and the Oculus software which is needed to use the Rift S now needs a meta account.

But I don’t want to create a Meta account, because of my (possibly irrational) hate for Meta.

When I learned about the Meta account problem originally my plan was to just for once adhere to my principles and give up on VR until I have a new PC and can afford a new VR headset.

But now I really feel the itch to play in VR again (mostly MSFS and the newly released Moss chapter 2).

…what should I do?

Can anybody tell me about the Meta account? Do I have to give them any information? I usually draw the line at telephone numbers and adresses, which I won’t give them. I will not give them a real name either.
I might consider creating that account if I just need an email adress, that’s what they already have anyway.

Other options include selling the Rift S (I doubt anyone will by it though, and isn’t it bound to my account or something?) Or buying another headset (if one of y’all tells me that it will run fine.

…or is there a hacked Oculus software or driver that helps?

So yeah, any input would be appreciated.
Thanks for reading!

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We share a similar problem. Underpowered computer, hatred of Facebook and yearning to get my early generation Occulus VR headset back out for DCS.

I took the step last weekend and was immediately hit with the Meta problem. Long story short I bit the bullet and filled out the least info I was allowed to get away with (which if I remember right was basically just an email) and logged back in to VR.

So far I haven’t been spammed, intruded or hit with anything related to Facebook and its demons. But it is early days yet. Not much use to you I guess but this is my experience so far.

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Agree with Camembert. If you have a dislike for FB, at least setting up a Meta account no longer requires you to be associated with FB. I’m glad to support Meta, because their environment has a more stable end user experience compared to WMR, and they continue to develop VR technologies using revenue from FB. It’s the lesser of two evils while at the same time, Meta/WMR competition most likely benefits the consumer.

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That may entice me to check out their VR (when my G2 dies).

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Is having a Meta account so different from having a Steam account to get SteamVR?
I had to register an account with Varjo to use their headset… I don’t think I understand the issue. I do understand not wanting to get a facebook account, but that’s no longer a requirement, AFAIK…?

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Use a burner email account (gmail or similar) for all your gaming account needs?

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The main difference is that I have supported Steam for a long time because I like what they do, while I despise basically everything Mr. Zuckerberg and his companies stand for.

But I get what you mean.

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I’m going the other way! When I got my Rift CV1 and Quest I didn’t care (I dislike FB intensely, too, but had an account because it was the only way to keep in touch with my biker group, who are based a bit away from my home). I was a bit more wary with Quest 2, but got one anyway.

As I see the direction they are heading, however, I decided I would cut the cord and dump them, despite the large amount I’ve spent on headsets, add-ons for them and software. So Quest 2 will be my last Meta headset. That’s also why I bought a Pico 4, which I’m pleased with (could be comfier, though). I’ve not used my Quest 2 since I got the Pico - though I did set up my Rift CV1 again :rofl:

btw I would also say that your 2070 isn’t that bad for VR - I ran it on a 970 originally and had no real problems with performance, then went to a 1060 when I got an Index and after that a 2060. But for a really good experience in FS2020 yes, something more potent would be required. I splashed on a 2080Ti for that sim and I thought that was pretty great (no issues at 30fps in VR) but my 4080 is the Mutt’s Nuts.

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I have quite a few… all with protonmail

They require zero details to create an email account and are designed from the ground up with privacy and security in mind. One of their goals is to provide anonymous and secure comms for people who live in nasty & repressives regimes.

When I had to travel overseas for work one of the first things I did was set up an account with them… even if I was travelling to another 5-Eye country :wink:

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Not too crazy about it either… Facebook was really cool in the beginning. It put me in touch with a lot of old friends and family, in a way that made every day communication simple and effortless.
But it has grown totally out of proportion and I feel more and more often that I should bug out… But the problem is that I am now more or less dependent on it as an information channel. If I want to keep track of what’s going on at work or even with my daughters soccer team, I must have a fb account. I certainly don’t like it.

But…I bought two of their VR headsets anyway.

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@Troll

My thoughts and experience with FB are almost identical. I only created an account in the first place because that was how my mother decided she would share news and photos with with the family and it did put me in touch with a lot of old school friends that I had lost contact with (I will have to tell you all the Miranda Kerr story one day).

I was sitting on the fence debating whether or not to delete my account because I despise Zuckerberg and the FB business model when that decision was made for me. About a year ago I received a notification of an attempted log in from an unknown PC and as a security measure I followed the recommended action and locked my account. Turns out that I had tried to access FB without using my VPN and when I went to unlock it ‘Enter your birthday date to unlock your account’… Hmmm, I know that I chose 1st January, but what year? Longish story short - I technically have a FB account but it is locked and I can’t access it and it doesn’t show to any other users.

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Pray, do continue…

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OK then. If you have a FB account then you will be familiar with the ‘people you may know…’ feature. One day my feed popped up with this and Miranda Kerr. Yeah right!

Which is exactly what I posted on my timeline. “People I may know, Miranda Kerr. Yeah right in my dreams”

Not long after that I received a PM from a friend who I hadn’t seen since High School but had reconnected with over FB and he said that it was probably because Miranda was a friend of his. He had lived in LA for a number of years in his late 20’s and 30’s working in the movie industry and knew quite a few big name stars. He said that “Miranda is lovely, she will definitely have a giggle over your post, I will put you in touch”

And that is why I had Miranda Kerr as a FB friend.

Edit: To be clear, although it wasn’t her public FB page, (I’m pretty sure) it wasn’t her ‘extra private’ friends and family page either. I was one of a bit over 500 ‘friends’ on that page along with my old chum from high school and it didn’t seem to include family members.

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Thanks for the input, guys!

I’ll have to think about it a bit more.

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Be sure to let us know Aginor, so we can all friend you on Facebook :rofl::rofl:

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Especially if….

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So what’s different about Meta that makes it less of an evil than FB?
FB was started with a simple harmless intention at first, but we know what became of it.
I don’t feel Meta is less suspect in this regard. The ethics of the people behind a company is what counts.

We all (I have as well) are grabbed by the tentacles of these big tech companies because they are masters in making us decide we find it more important to use whatever they offer (usually because its either something shiny or it is an QoL improvement (however shallow in the end)) over our concern of what we pay with.

There are several good documentaries and books written about this aspect.
In those we learn (to name something) Cambridge Analytica had a big military social engineering department and even though the name doesn’t exist anymore, it would be naive to think there isn’t something else continuing with the knowledge of CA somewhere.

Now, I am certainly no keyboard crusader and I am fully aware of the fact that whenever you are connected to the net you WILL share information and feed the profiling algorithms, but this thread started with an argument about buying into meta because of funds preventing other options.
That’s an interesting thing to contemplate, is it not? IMO there is a reason these companies keep their products within a certain pricerange. They want to have as many people in their userbase as possible, so by using this argument we are doing exactly what they want.

No judgment though. Just something that I find interesting to have a discussion about.

:relaxed:

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Ummm, IIRC Facebook was ‘creepy’ from the beginning. It was an app to ‘rate’ girls on Campus?

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Not to mention that you‘re being profiled by Meta/FB wether you have an account or not.

Oh and don‘t forget about Whatsapp and how it uploads your address book straight to Zuck. Plenty other messengers prove this is not necessary to connect people, as a pseudomized token will do the same trick.

But it‘s not about connecting us people, is it. It‘s about them connecting all the dots.

Meanwhile, my Samsung VR headset does not see any use because it‘s uncomfortable to wear and my lens inserts got a little dated. :clamp:

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